Tyagaraja

Born: 4 May 1767

Died: 6 January 1847

• He also known as Tyāgayya in Telugu, was a renowned composer of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music.
• He was prolific and highly influential in the development of the classical music tradition.
• He and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, were regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music.
• He composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Lord Rama, many of which remain popular today.
• Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis (English: “five gems”), which are often sung in programs in his honour.
• He saw the reigns of four kings of Maratha dynasty — Tulaja II (1763–1787), Amarasimha (1787–1798), Serfoji II (1798–1832) and Sivaji II (1832–1855), although he served none of them.
• He regarded music as a way to experience God’s love. His compositions focused on expression, rather than on the technicalities of classical music.
• He also showed a flair for composing music and, in his teens, composed his first song, “Namo Namo Raghavayya”, in the Desika Todi ragam and inscribed it on the walls of the house.
• His compositions are mainly of a devotional (bhakti) or philosophical nature.

click here for more details